Hemiplegia is a paralysis on one side of the body, contralateral to the affected hemisphere of the brain. Hemiplegia may be caused by stroke, infection, traumatic brain injury, or the like, or may exist at birth, such as in individuals with cerebral palsy. With intensive intervention, lower extremity functioning typically recovers enough for the affected individuals to walk (albeit with gait disturbances); however, upper extremity dysfunction (i.e., hand and arm use) is generally persistent regardless of intervention.
Hemispatial neglect is a neuropsychological condition defined as an inattention to the side of space opposite the affected hemisphere. Hemispatial neglect typically affects all senses, including vision, hearing, and touch. Long-term functional recovery is poor and negatively impacts quality of life.
Children and adults with intractable epilepsy, brain surgery, stroke, or other acquired brain injury often have hemispatial neglect. Hemispatial neglect affects all senses in that such individuals do not notice items on that side, are less likely to respond to sound on that side, and, importantly, “forget” to use their arm on that side. The arm on that side tends to be weaker because of the underlying brain condition. The neglect exacerbates this weakness because the arm is rarely used. Often the individuals are physically able to use the arm far more than they actually do.
It has been discovered that if an affected individual is reminded to use the arm, or look to the affected side, either verbally or with a tap on the arm or table, they can often do so. To address this issue, the inventor of the present application has examined use of a vibrating alarm watch which is placed on the affected individual's “forgotten” side. The intermittent vibration will cue the individual to the affected arm and also will send a signal to the part of the brain that is controlling the arm, thereby hopefully strengthening the connection. Especially with young children, however, commercially available vibrating watches are bulky and have a limited ability to set specified operating parameters. Additionally, commercially available watches do not have the capability to measure arm use or provide data on whether the device is effective in increasing movement of the arm.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a device and method for monitoring and treating a subject afflicted with hemiplegia and/or spatial neglect that is not bulky, and also provides additional capabilities for monitoring, the feedback as to whether the device is effective in increasing movement of the arm.